Bell housing support



Oct. 13, 1931. c. w. MARLOW ET AL 1,827,532

BELL HOUSING SUPPORT Filed Aug. 30, 1929 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Inventors Attorney Oct. 13, 1931. c w MARLOW ET AL 1,827,532

BELL HOUS ING SUPPORT Filed Aug. 30, 1929 v 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 f Q? KP \R R Q O [f 0 7 Q O Q Q A tiorney Inventors Patented Get. 13, 193i UNITED 'sTATEs PATENT OFFICE CHIEL W. HARLOW AND HENRY G. HARLOW, 0F ATLANTA, GEORGIA BELL nousms sorrow]:

Application filed August 30, 1929. Serial 1T0. 389,476.

joint) housing on cars of the Pontiac and Chevrolet type. With this in mind, we have evolved and produced a simple and economical multiple part clamp, including a pair of complemental rigid sections, and a relatively movable yieldable section, which, when in play, instantly does away with the looseness and rattle and supports the rods in such a way as to minimize undue and further wear.

The improved bell housing support is scientifically designed, the parts are properly supported, and yet allowed to remain flexible as the car maker intended the structure to be.

The arrangement avoids bending and buckling of the shaft housing, and yet permits the desired flexibility in action.

The structure is compact and convenient,

susceptible of expeditious application and with the improved support associated there with.

Figure 2.is a side elevational view of the structure seen in Figure 1.

Figure 3 is a cross section on the line 3-3 of Figure 1. r

Figure 4 is a bottom plan view of one of the-top sections of the support.

Figure 5 is a top plan view of the bottom section of the support.

Figure 6 is a longitudinal section through the same.

In the drawings, in Figure 1, the reference character 7 designates the usual universal joint and 8 designates the drive shaft housing, in which the shaft 9, (see Figure 3) is located. The drive shaft housing works inside the bell housing 7 of the universal joint and as every automotive mechanic knows play soon develops in the joint 10, developing looseness and rattle as well as increasing the Wear of the connected parts.

The bell housing support, which is more in the nature of a bracing clamp of a multiple part construction is made up principally of three parts, namely, a bottom section 11, which bridges the joint, and a top section of separate front and rear clamps 12 and 18, respectively. The section 11 has a channel shaped portion 14 of semi-circular design, which embraces the lower half of the bell housing andalso of the adjoining end of the drive shaftliousing and which is provided intermediate its ends with a transverse semicircular outwardly pressed recess 15, to receive the lower half of the bell at the end of the bell housing as seen in Figure 6. The front clamp 12 lncludes the central semi-circular portion 16, having flanges 17, secured flanges 21 with the flanges 19, the shank portions of the bolt being surrounded by cushioning coiled springs 24, which are interposed between the heads of the bolts and the flanges 21 as seen in Figure 3. This serves to yieldably connect the rear clamp 13 to the bottom section 11.

The result is that the front clamp 12 serves to firmly fasten the bottom section 11 tightly to the bell housing, in a manner so that it bridges the joints 10. The extending end portion of the section 11 constitutes a mountthe springs 24 attached around the rear bolts 23. Thus, accurate adjustment of the rear clamp is permitted so that it can be properly used to support the shaft housing w thout binding. c, v i

A careful consideration of the description in connectionwith the drawings will enable the reader to obtain a clear understanding 'of the construction, method of application and features and advantages of the improved support and clamp. Therefore a more lengthy description is regarded as unnecessary.

Minor changes in the shape, size and rearrangement of details coming within the field of the invention claimed, may be resorted to, with actual practice.

We claim: v

1. In a structure of the class described, in

combination, a universal oint, a bell housing,

a drive shaft housing having a bell joint, a drive shaft in the drive shaft housing and connectedwith the universal joint, and a bell housing support comprisinga bottom section, a pair of top sections; recessed portions 1n said bottom section and in one of the top sections for accommodating the bell joint, one of said top sections being rigidly fastened to the bottom section and the other of said top sections being yieldablyfastened to the bottom section.

2. As a new product of manufacture, a bell housing support of the class described, comprising a shaft, a universal joint having a bell joint housing, a shaft housin working in the joint of the bell joint housing, and a support consisting of a bottom section having longitudinal flanges and a longitudinal semi-circular portion for embracing both the bell joint housing and the shaft housing, together with a transversely disposed recessed portion adjacent one end for the accommodation of a portion of the shaft housing oint, a

pair of independent top sections including central portions conforming to the top portions f the saidhousings, one-section being long bottom section including a centralized semi-circular channel having a transversely disposed outwardly pressed recessed part adjacent one end for reception of the lower half of the bell housing, and provided with the longitudinal side flanges, a front top section having a central semi-circular channel and longitudinal flanges, bolts passing through said last named flanges and complemental portions of the bottom flanges for securing said top section rigidly to the bottom section, a companion top section including a central channel shaped portion of semi-circular design having' a recessed portion disposed transversely and cooperative with the correspondingly shaped portion of the bottom section for accommodating the upper half of the shaft housing, said last named top section being formed with longitudinal side flanges, and bolts passing through said last named flanges and corresponding portions of the bottom section flanges, and springs surrounding the shank portions of the bolt and bear-' ing upon the companion section flanges to yieldably connect said last named top sections with the relatively stationary bottom sections. I

4. A bell housingsupport for preventing looseness in the joint where a drive shaft housing works inside a bell housing which comprises. a bottom member and front and rear top members of semi-circular cross section for embracing the housing, the said bottom member being of a length to bridge the joint. and having a seat for the joint, sa1d top members being a'djustably connected to the bottom member, the connection of one of the top members being non-yieldable and the connection of the other top member being yieldable.

5. A clamp for the purpose described comprising a stationary member and separable members, and means connecting said separable members to the stationary member of the clamp, the connecting means of one of said separable members being yieldable' and a I the connecting means of the other separable member being non-yieldable.

6. A clamp for the purpose described comprising a stationary member and separable members, means connecting said separable members to the stationa member of the clamp, the stationary mem er being recessed, and the connecting means of one of said separable members being yieldable and the connecting means of the other of saifl separable members being non-yieldable.

In testimony whereof they afiix their sig natures.

GHIEL W. MARLOW. HENRY G. MARLOW. 

